The present invention relates to a tactile device for communicating with and conveying information to visually impaired people. More particularly, it relates to a device to safely and conveniently create a refreshable, tactile “image” which can be sensed by the user.
Many blind people use Braille to read, and various other tactile devices are known for communicating with blind people, including devices that use vibrating motors, but there is a need for a device that can communicate sketches or shapes “on the fly” to a visually impaired person. The present invention arose out of a project in which blind people wanted to have a way to sense where they were and where they were going as they were travelling along the road in a car, but there is also a need for this type of communication in many other settings. For example, there is a need to communicate shapes “on the fly” in a classroom, when a teacher is drawing a sketch on the blackboard for the students. The ability to provide tactile pictures or images for blind people could also be used for entertainment and for other purposes.